The Immoral Rose
by sapphiregirl14
Summary: "The hardest thing to do is to watch the one you love, love someone else."
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Emily Thorne looked out at the beach from her veranda. The sun was shining, and she could feel the warm, golden rays around her, filling her with a radiance and happiness that only nature could provide. For a brief moment she was absorbed in the serenity of the rolling waves and paper-white sand of The Hamptons. She breathed in, closing her eyes. A continuous clicking sound suddenly interrupted her sense of peace. Daniel was typing away at his computer. Emily's heart sank. In three days, she and Daniel would be married. Emily's marriage to Daniel was part of her master plan, the plan she had spent months and months preparing. It was a mission she knew she had to finish, not only to honour the memory of her beloved father, David Clarke, but also for herself.

Conrad and Victoria Grayson had torn everything from her and now she wanted her final taste of sweet revenge. The final piece of the puzzle was only a few days away from being slotted into place.

She felt a driving force inside of her, pushing her to the edge, pumping adrenaline through her body. She wanted to take down the Graysons, particularly Victoria Grayson, for good. She was planning to frame Victoria Grayson for the murder of Emily Thorne. For Emily to fake her own death it meant she could finally escape with Aiden, far away, and they would both be able to live the life that they had always dreamed of. Emily was confident that she could make Victoria's life a living hell, which was what she deserved. Many years ago, Conrad and Victoria had conspired to frame Emily's father for the downing of Flight 197, which had resulted in David Clark being imprisoned for life for a crime he didn't commit. David had been falsely convicted and ripped away from his daughter forever, all because of Conrad and Victoria. He had died whilst in prison. The Graysons had destroyed her father's life and also Emily's. Now was her final chance to seek retribution for what the Graysons did.

She wanted to take everything away from the Graysons, just as they had done to her. They were evil monsters and Emily desperately wanted to see them fall apart once and for all. Her last opportunity had finally arrived.

Victoria Grayson tried to ignore the endless flow of thoughts and worries spinning around in her head. She stood, motionless, on her enormous balcony overlooking The Hamptons. Despite her incredible fortune and opulence, Victoria felt numb and empty, as if all the life had been drained from her. She was tired of pretending. She was tired of acting as if everything was wonderful. Her entire life was a lie and nobody seemed to understand or care. She was a scam, a liar and on top of it all, a terrible mother to her dear children, Daniel and Charlotte. Nobody despised Victoria as much as she did herself. She often wished she could turn back the time and undo her actions. When she stood on her balcony she let her thoughts drift to the days when she was truly happy, the days when she was in love with David Clarke - his smile, his strength, the touch of his lips against hers, the way his blue eyes sparkled with light as he would look at her. No matter how hard she forced herself to think only of the good memories, nothing could erase the pain and regret she felt. Every day she was reminded of what she did to David Clarke. She would never forgive herself for it.

As Victoria turned to go back inside, her heartbeat quickened. From above she could see Emily Thorne sitting on her veranda steps, talking to Daniel. Victoria sighed and immediately felt a burning rage flood through her body. Emily and Daniel were to be married in a few days and Victoria could not stand the mere thought of it. She had not trusted Emily since the day the young woman had arrived at The Hamptons several years ago. There was something about Emily that made her feel incredibly on-edge. Victoria knew that her naïve son Daniel was far out of his depth with the mysterious Emily. She could not stand seeing them together, and the idea of their marriage made Victoria furious. She felt overly protective of Daniel and she knew that Emily was no good for him. Victoria could see that her son was in love with Emily, yet her instincts told her that there was no way on earth that the feeling was mutual. However, this was not the only reason for Victoria's anger.

She watched Emily. She was tall, blonde, attractive, polite and charming. She was also witty and highly intelligent. She moved with grace and elegance, had impeccable manners and was incredibly wealthy. Victoria gazed down at the couple and was lost in deep thought.

It was no surprise that Daniel had fallen for Emily; he had been swept of his feet by the girl next door. Emily was every man's dream.

Yet she was also Victoria's.


	2. Chapter 2: The Reveal

Since Emily Thorne had arrived at The Hamptons, Victoria had felt there was something different about the new girl in town. Victoria knew from the beginning that Emily could not be trusted. The way that those hooded brown eyes of hers would look right through you, the way they would make you feel like she was always watching – Emily was most certainly hiding something.

Everyone assumed that Victoria despised Emily, for this was what Victoria was trying to make everyone believe. However, Victoria was a brilliant actress when circumstances required. It was all an act. She didn't hate Emily; she knew exactly how she felt towards the girl, yet she could not admit it to herself. She had tried to convince herself over and over again that she hated Emily Thorne. She repeatedly told herself that Emily was a cunning and deceitful woman with ulterior motives, but it was no use.

No amount of false hatred or pretending could erase what Victoria really felt. It was Victoria who was hiding something.

* * *

"You okay, babe?"

Emily jumped. She hadn't noticed Daniel standing behind her.

"I'm fine," she replied calmly. "Just feeling stressed about everything that still has to be organized for the wedding," Emily was a fabulous liar.

Daniel sat down next to her on the steps. "Hey," he smiled. "Everything will work out just fine. This is going to be the best day of our lives,"

"Yeah, I know," she kissed him on the cheek. "You always know how to make me feel better." Emily felt like laughing out loud. It amused her to think that Daniel was totally oblivious to the fact that their wedding day was going to be one of the_ worst_ days of his life. Little did he know that he would soon be watching his dear mother being arrested for the murder of Daniel's newly wedded wife.

Suddenly, Emily's phone rang.

"Hello, Emily. It's Victoria,"

"Victoria," Emily took a deep breath.

"I am calling to confirm that our plans for shopping tomorrow are still in order,"

"They certainly are," replied Emily, faking a smile. "Tell Charlotte I'm very much looking forward to it,"

"Wonderful. Have a pleasant evening, Emily."

Hanging up the phone, Emily felt a chill run down her spine. Shopping with Victoria and Charlotte was the last thing she wanted to be doing when she had so much to organise, but Victoria had insisted that Emily have a day of indulgence and retail therapy to calm her pre-wedding nerves. Emily had agreed without hesitation. She needed to spend as much time with Victoria as possible before the wedding to make sure that everything would work out correctly for her plan.

"Listen," started Daniel. "I know you two don't get along very well, but I hope that after the wedding we can smooth things out a little,"

"Oh, you mean your mother?" replied Emily. "I can already feel that she is beginning to like me more, Daniel. After the wedding, things will be just perfect."

She turned, hiding her smile.

* * *

Emily stared at her reflection in the enormous, wall-sized mirror. Victoria and Charlotte sat outside her changing room, waiting eagerly as Emily tried on dress after dress. Black, red, blue, patterned, striped – it felt as though she had tried on everything in the store so far. Emily had collected her wedding dress several days ago and now she needed the perfect dress for the reception being held afterwards. However, nobody but Emily and her allies knew the reception would turn terribly awry. Nobody but Emily and her allies knew that the entire night, and the lives of all involved, would be destroyed by the sound of gunshots and the smell of blood.

"What do you think of this dress?" Emily said innocently.

Victoria and Charlotte glanced up.

"You look so beautiful," said Charlotte with admiration, her large eyes shining as she smiled.

Emily observed herself carefully in the mirror again. Out of all the dresses she had tried on, she felt that this one was best suited to her. It was a tight-fitted dress that hung just above the knees. It was as black as the midnight sky, with white detailing across the shoulders and bodice.

"Your opinion, Victoria?"

Emily felt Victoria's dark eyes scanning her body in the dress. She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable, as if Victoria was analysing and judging everything about her.

"It looks fabulous." Unbeknownst to Emily, Victoria's heart was pounding.

The two women looked at each other coldly. Not a word was exchanged, but it was as if a thousand words had been said. Emily then purchased her dress and the three decided to stop at The Black Olive Café. They drank coffee and ate expensive sandwiches while discussing wedding table arrangements and the weather.

Victoria and Charlotte arrived home. Together they walked into the dining hall together to find Conrad and Daniel in the middle of a business-related conversation, with paperwork and folders spread out across the large table. They were discussing Grayson Global's latest investment prospects. Conrad stood and grinned as he saw his wife and daughter enter the room.

"Ah, good afternoon, my two darlings. I suspect that your spontaneous outing was a success?"

Victoria smiled and poured herself a cup of tea. "That depends on what you mean by 'success', Conrad. Perhaps Charlotte would like to share her thoughts about the day,"

Charlotte glared at her mother. "Sometimes I just don't understand you,"

"What do you mean, Charlotte?" replied Victoria.

"You were the one who organised this trip today, yet you made it miserable for Emily with your unfriendliness. I can see through your lies – you didn't think any of those dresses looked good on her. You made her feel so uncomfortable!"

Victoria rolled her eyes. "How dare you, Charlotte. I will soon be that woman's mother-in-law. I have to make an effort with her whether I desire to or not,"

"Yes, I know that, but you can at least be nice about it. No matter how much you dislike Emily, she is part of our family now,"

"Come on, Charlotte. Lay off," started Daniel. "Try not to worry about it."

Victoria stormed up to her bedroom and took a seat at the end of her king-sized bed. She felt confused, ashamed and angry. She ran her hands through her long, silk-like black hair, sighing in frustration. She could not deny it any longer – enough was enough. It was true that everyone believed she hated Emily, but only Victoria knew exactly how she felt towards the young woman. Images of Emily in the dresses at the store returned to Victoria in flashbacks. The way her body looked in the wall-sized mirror. The way the black, lacy material hugged her curves. Her slender, manicured hands. The secretive desire she felt. The strange, intense longing. The envy she had of both Emily and her own son. The fact that she could not get Emily out of her mind.

Suddenly everything made sense. Victoria closed her eyes.

_I want her. And I am going to do whatever it takes to have her._


	3. Chapter 3: Resistance

The day had finally arrived. Emily stepped into her wedding dress and took a deep breath. Everything she had worked towards, everything she had suffered and experienced, all the time she had spent planning and preparing – it all led to this day. The only other people who were aware of Emily's plan were Aiden, Nolan and Jack. Emily trusted them with her life. Now was their chance to frame Victoria for the shooting of Emily Thorne and expose her as the murderous witch she really was.

The reception was being held on a boat. With the help of her three allies, the plan was for Emily to 'accidently' spill her drink on Victoria. It was assumed that Victoria would then go downstairs to clean herself up. Aiden would be waiting behind the scenes to chloroform Victoria, making her black out for at least ten minutes. In this time, Emily would fire gunshots into the air, scatter her blood over the deck, jump overboard and swim to a buoy where she would alert Aiden and then wait for him to collect her. Then, they would finally be free.

Emily had planned every last detail. The last thing on her mind was the wedding – all she could think about was her plan. As she applied another coat of lip gloss, a smile spread across her face. This time tomorrow she would be with Aiden, the man she was truly in love with. She sighed. First, she needed to focus on getting through the wedding and convincing everyone she was madly in love with Daniel.

Everything was set. It was time.

"Emily?"

She froze. Victoria was standing behind her.

Emily turned around. "Victoria. Can I help you?"

"I wanted to have a word with you, if you would be so kind as to spare me a moment of your time,"

Emily pulled out a seat for Victoria. The two women sat facing each other.

"What is it?" said Emily in annoyance.

Victoria stared Emily in the eyes, her gaze deep and penetrating. Emily suddenly felt Victoria's hand on her arm. Her touch was as cold as her stare. A chill ran down Emily's spine.

"I wanted to speak with you personally to wish you all the best for the wedding. As you will soon be my daughter-in-law, I feel obligated to smooth out the disagreements we have had in the past. I know we have had our moments, but I do hope we can get past them, especially for the sake of today. It has been difficult for me to accept, Emily, but I know that you make my son very happy,"

Emily realised she was glaring at Victoria. Everything that came out of Victoria's mouth was a lie. She refused to believe a word of it, but for now she had to be an actress. Quickly pulling herself together, she flashed the older woman a smile.

"Thank you, Victoria. How kind of you. I'm sure that after today you will understand just how much Daniel means to me. I love him with all my heart, and I know that everything will work out for us in the future,"

To Emily's surprise, Victoria suddenly laughed with bitterness. "You see, Emily, that's the other thing I wanted to mention,"

"What's that?"

Victoria sighed, and leaned in closer towards Emily. "I wasn't born yesterday. You might make my son happy, but I know you're not in love with him," she whispered.

"Listen. I'm not going to waste my time convincing you to believe me, but you can be assured that I do love Daniel,"

Victoria continued to stare at Emily with resentment.

Emily felt herself becoming frustrated. "Why is it so hard for you to believe, Victoria?"

"I know what a woman in love looks like, Emily, and that's not you," Victoria stood up and began to make her way out of the room.

Following Victoria to the door, Emily tried to keep her cool, but it was no good. She resisted the urge to slap Victoria across the face right then and there. "You know, now that I think about it, Victoria, it must be very hard for you to accept or appreciate any kind of love when your own miserable life is so devoid of it. Jealously sure has a way of controlling us, doesn't it?"

Tears began to well in Victoria's eyes. She turned and stormed away, slamming the door behind her. Emily always knew how to get under her skin and make her feel a rollercoaster of different emotions. She was both angry and disappointed with herself, as once again she had been lost for words.

_If only Emily knew the truth._

* * *

Conrad, Victoria and Charlotte took their seats at the wedding in the front row. Victoria looked around, smiling and politely greeting the many guests that had been invited. She looked magnificent in a laced, deep purple, floor-length dress, which contrasted beautifully with her fair skin. Her long hair cascaded down her back in thick, black waves. She searched the crowd and found her son's face at the end of the aisle. He was waiting eagerly for his fiancé. Victoria could not believe that Daniel was getting married, and in a way, she was proud of him. However, anger and rage soon consumed Victoria as she reminded herself that her son was marrying Emily Thorne. She realised she didn't want to believe it. Victoria didn't want her son to make the same mistakes she made in the past. Nonetheless, she continued to smile and pretend.

The wedding bells began to chime. The hundreds of guests stood and turned to welcome the bride, whispering and giggling happily, waiting in anticipation, searching for Emily.

Charlotte gasped in excitement and leaned in towards her mother. "Look! There she is."

Victoria's heart almost stopped.

She had no words to describe the woman she saw in front of her. Victoria was speechless. She felt herself breathing hard and fast. Never once had she seen a woman so beautiful, so incredibly exquisite, in all her life. It was as if she had been swept into some kind of trance as she watched Emily move slowly and gracefully down the aisle. All the hatred and envy that Victoria felt suddenly disappeared.

As Emily passed Victoria, their eyes locked.

The wedding officiant spoke and Daniel and Emily announced their wedding vows.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Everyone clapped and cheered for the newly married couple, and in that single moment it was as if nothing existed but happiness. Yet all Victoria felt was, strangely enough, an overwhelming sense of sadness. A tear rolled softly down her cheek.

Without warning, she got up from her seat and ran.

"Victoria!" gasped Conrad.

* * *

Despite all the joy and excitement around her, Emily could sense that something was not quite right. As she and Daniel held up their hands to the crowd, showing off their new wedding rings, Emily scanned the room. Instantly, she noticed that Victoria was nowhere to be seen.

_She must have left. That horrible woman couldn't stand to see me marrying her son._

Emily's mind began to race. She hoped that Victoria hadn't gone far for the sake of her plan. Since Victoria had left the wedding, there was a strong possibility that she wouldn't turn up to the reception at all. Emily felt herself begin to panic. She needed Victoria to be here at this moment, and more importantly, to attend the reception so that her plan could go ahead. Faking a smile to Daniel and the guests in front of her, Emily tried to calm herself down. She reminded herself that everything would be fine and that she was prepared for anything.

Emily knew exactly what she needed to do – she needed to find Victoria, wherever she might be. She knew she had to do it as soon as possible. She needed to find her and convince her to attend the reception. It was the only way to get her plan back on track.


	4. Chapter 4: Desire

Victoria ran. She ran as fast as she could, down the corridors of the church and through the gardens and along pathways and side streets. She stopped only once to kick off her stiletto heels, and then continued running barefoot until she found a secluded corner of another garden to hide in. Tears were streaming down her face, and her once perfect makeup was now a smudged, blotchy mess. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She tried to catch her breath, but it was difficult, and she began to feel extremely anxious. What if someone _did_ find her? What would she say? How could she possibly explain the state she was in? All she knew was that she simply couldn't watch Daniel and Emily's marriage go ahead – the reason for this consumed her with guilt, shame and frustration.

She found a small concrete bench to sit on and tried to organise her thoughts. Victoria knew she was being ridiculous, and she didn't want to admit how she truly felt, but she could not hide it nor deny it any longer. She couldn't watch the marriage ceremony because...

"I'm in love with her," Victoria said in a whisper to herself.

She stared out into the distance. She watched as a young man jogged along the track, and a bird in a tree tended to its ragged nest. She watched the calm flow of the water and the way the sun shone on the bank, giving the trees and flowers a new burst of energy. Victoria's tears slowly began to subside and she exhaled. She calmed herself. Enough was enough. It was time to let go of the guilt she had felt for so long.

She had to find Emily.

* * *

Emily politely excused herself from the wedding by telling Daniel she had to go to the bathroom. She hoped he would accept a few more glasses of white wine and not notice her extraordinarily long 'bathroom trip'. She had no idea where Victoria might be. Her master plan depended on Victoria being at the reception. Walking briskly out of the church and down through the gardens, she felt very grateful that she had booked a church in such a quiet area, as there was nobody around to see her running through town in an extravagant wedding gown. She looked around the gardens and everywhere else she could think of. Surely Victoria couldn't have gone very far in such a short amount of time. However, she was nowhere that Emily could see.

She searched the gardens one last time, desperately trying to spot Victoria. After a few moments she knew that she should be getting back to her wedding. Victoria would have to return eventually.

To Emily's surprise, just as she was turning away, she spotted a dark-haired woman in a long, purple dress walking across the road. She had no shoes on. It was Victoria. Emily gasped quietly, unable to comprehend why Victoria looked so distressed and dishevelled. She had never seen her like that before. Why had she run away? What was wrong? Victoria was now just a few hundred metres away from Emily. The older woman suddenly looked up, spotted Emily, and stopped in her tracks.

"Victoria!" called Emily, waving. "What are you doing?"

There was no response from Victoria. She was looking at Emily in surprise, and dropped the pair of stiletto heels on the ground that she had been holding.

"You're needed at the wedding!" continued Emily. "And we wouldn't want you to miss what's planned for the reception later."

Still, Victoria was silent. Emily watched her carefully and got the feeling that something else was going on. Victoria left her stilettos behind and began walking towards Emily, appearing more confident and composed. Emily frowned in confusion. Victoria was soon directly facing her and their eyes met, holding a stare. The two women were just inches apart. The air was thick. Emily could feel Victoria's breath on her skin.

"Why did you leave the wedding?" said Emily nervously.

Victoria continued to look at the younger woman. The tension could have been felt from a mile away. She observed Emily's flawless skin and the way her blonde hair fell softly in her face. She noticed her long, elegant neck and her soft, pink lips. She reached for Emily's hand and held it gently. She began to slowly trace Emily's arm with her fingertips, whilst holding her gaze.

"Victoria, what are you –"

"Stop talking," Victoria demanded.

Before Emily could say another word, Victoria's lips were pressed against hers, their warmth and their taste filling her. What on earth was happening? She felt Victoria's hands stroke her arms, up and down, and then they moved towards her shoulders. Victoria slipped the sleeve of her wedding dress down and kissed her shoulder, then moved her hands slowly to Emily's breasts. Victoria continued to kiss her passionately in an almost uncontrollable manner. She ran her hands through Emily's hair.

"Stop… what are you doing?" cried Emily, pulling herself away. It was difficult to remove herself from Victoria's grip, but with some effort she finally did. She couldn't believe what was happening.

_Victoria Grayson just kissed me._

Emily stepped backwards and stared at Victoria in utter shock. She didn't know what to say or how to react to the situation. She was lost for words and didn't exactly know how she felt. It was a mix of anger, confusion and disgust, yet as much as Emily hated to admit it, she also knew that she felt extremely aroused. She was surprised at the older woman's actions and also fearful of what she felt was coming.

"Why the hell did you just do that?"

"Oh, for God's sake, don't pretend like you don't know," Victoria sat down on the stairs of the church and looked up at Emily. She couldn't believe that she had actually made a move after fantasizing about doing so for such a long time.

"What? What are you talking about?" questioned Emily.

Watching as Victoria got up from the stairs, Emily couldn't help but notice how attractive the older woman was. She felt a surge of desire flood through her body. The kiss hadn't been that bad, had it? She silently cursed at herself for having such thoughts and noticed that Victoria was now standing directly opposite her again. Her eyes were haunting and cold. Victoria placed a finger on Emily's lips, silencing her. Emily shuddered, closing her eyes to escape Victoria's penetrating stare.

"I want you…" Victoria breathed, her heart pounding. She gently kissed Emily's neck. "…I've wanted you for so long."

Unbeknownst to either woman, Daniel Grayson was standing around the corner, watching in horror.


	5. Chapter 5: Release

He poured himself another glass of Scotch and drank it as quickly as he could. The alcohol flowed through his body, affecting his judgement, clouding his mind and blocking out the pain. He felt dizzy and light-headed. He leant against the wall of the boat, glass in hand, watching the large television flash through a slideshow of pictures of himself and Emily. Anger filled him and he cringed as the events of the afternoon returned to him. All he could think of was witnessing his mother and his wife hooking up with each other. At the wedding, after Emily had been gone for such a long while, Daniel had begun to worry and hence started to search for his wife. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. He had stared at Emily and Victoria in shock, unable to move or speak, horrified at the fact that both his mother and his own wife would betray him in such an unspeakable manner. He was fuming with rage. The only logical solution was to get as drunk as possible. That way, he wouldn't have to remember a thing.

Ignoring the many guests surrounding him, Daniel stumbled over to the bar and requested another beer.

"I think you've had enough for tonight, dude," replied the barman.

"I'll be the judge of that…" slurred Daniel. "Come on, it's my wedding night. Just one more and then I'm done."

Giving in, the barman handed him a bottle. As Daniel concentrated on trying to open it, he was unaware that Emily had silently crept past him and was making her way upstairs onto the deck of the boat.

* * *

Emily still wanted her plan to go ahead. As conflicted as she felt about Victoria's kiss that afternoon, she had managed to take control of the situation and had convinced Victoria to attend the reception. Emily had already spilt her drink on Victoria and collected her fingerprints, which was the first step of her plan, and Victoria had gone to the bathroom to clean herself up. Aiden would now be waiting, ready to chloroform Victoria by now. Reminding herself again of what she was really here for, Emily felt more determined than ever. She found the small glass tube and the gun she had hidden on the boat earlier. She placed the gun in a place that was of easy access to her and then scattered drops of her own blood on the deck.

Now all she needed to do was to fire a few shots into the air, jump overboard and swim to her and Aiden's meeting point. She looked at the gun. This was it – the moment of truth. Victoria Grayson was going down. Suddenly, and to Emily's dismay, a voice interrupted her.

"What are you doing up here?"

She could not have been more furious. Turning around, she could not believe who was standing in front of her.

"Victoria? How did you… what do you want?"

Victoria began playing her staring game, sending chills through Emily once again. The older woman had a way of drawing her in and had an almost hypnotic effect on her.

"What do I want?" repeated Victoria quietly, a smirk appearing. "I think you know the answer to that, Emily Grayson."

_Grayson. I am now Emily Grayson. _Emily's mind was racing and her heart was pounding in her chest. Everything felt so wrong. She was frustrated and confused – nothing was going to plan. How had Victoria escaped from Aiden? Where _was_ Aiden? What on earth had happened that had sent her meticulously prepared master plan flying out the window? The only thing Emily could do to get things back on track was to somehow knock out Victoria herself. She had to find a heavy object. There was nothing besides her gun, which Victoria would surely notice if Emily reached for it.

However, it was too late. The older woman was already by her side. Emily could feel Victoria's eyes on her, prying over her body, craving her. Victoria placed her hand on Emily's.

"Victoria, please don't do this," Emily insisted. "I am married to your son." She ignored Victoria's stare and looked out at the ocean.

* * *

Victoria felt her heart sink. She was in love with Emily. She had a desire for the younger woman that drove her crazy, day and night. Never had she felt more attracted, both sexually and emotionally, to anyone else in her life. At this moment she didn't care for the consequences of her actions. Victoria wanted this woman and no one else. Perhaps the only option was to show a little more force.

Victoria smiled to herself. _That might make things a little more exciting around here._

Gripping Emily's hand tightly, she pulled the young woman over to the wall of the deck. Victoria could certainly be strenuous when she wanted to be. She slammed Emily into the wall, pinning her arms above her head, making Emily gasp in surprise.

"I know you liked me all over you before. Don't try to hide it," whispered Victoria.

"Well, you're wrong about that," breathed Emily, trying to escape. "I hated it and I hate _you_."

Victoria stepped back and for a moment she felt a sudden pang of hurt. However, she could tell Emily was lying. She could see right through her. Victoria glared at Emily and watched the way the younger woman was breathing fast and heavily and how she opened her mouth slightly. She knew Emily was aroused. Victoria herself was more turned on than she had ever imagined. She was wet just watching Emily suffer.

"I'm sorry you hate me," taunted Victoria, grabbing Emily's arms and slowly running her hands down them, stopping at her hips. "Perhaps I can change that."

She placed her lips on Emily's, and the two women kissed, their tongues moving sensually, wanting more and more of each other with every second. Victoria aggressively pulled up the hem of Emily's dress. She looked down at the woman's black, laced underwear and smiled, then began to softly caress her slit. Emily was already soaking through her underwear. Moaning softly, Emily was unable to resist the intense pleasure she was feeling. Victoria's hand moved to inside of her underwear. As she noticed the effect she was having on Emily, Victoria almost collapsed with pleasure herself. She then slid two fingers inside of Emily, moving them in and out.

"Oh my God…" cried Emily as her hands tightly gripped the wall for support. Victoria continued moving her fingers in a faster motion and she knew that Emily would soon climax.

Soon enough, Victoria hit the spot. Emily's body tightened and the pace of her breathing increased. Overcome with pleasure, her body trembled and she exhaled loudly, losing all self-control in an exquisite orgasm.

Victoria watched with pleasant satisfaction. As Emily tried to calm herself, Victoria stroked the woman's face softly and kissed her neck, holding Emily close to her. The two women lost sight of their surroundings and immersed themselves in the warmth of one another amongst the chill of the night. Victoria observed that Emily was avoiding making eye contact, and that she clearly felt ashamed and embarrassed.

"You are so beautiful," said Victoria. "Please, look at me,"

Emily was silent for a few moments. "I have to leave,"

"Please don't,"

"I have to," replied Emily. "Just stop, Victoria." She pushed herself out of Victoria's embrace and quickly adjusted her clothes and hair. She was so ashamed of herself and felt sick with guilt. Emily had completely let her feelings, desires and emotions take control of everything and she had sabotaged her own plan unintentionally. How was she going to explain herself to Aiden, Jack and Nolan? What on earth was she going to do now?

Heading towards the door that led inside, Emily held her head low and felt that she would burst into tears. All of a sudden, she bumped into someone. Her heartbeat accelerated. Someone had been watching them.

Emily looked up in shock to see a drunken, glazed-eyed Daniel.

Bottle of beer in one hand, gun in the other. He pointed the gun at Emily's head.


	6. Chapter 6: Demise

Daniel's hands began to shake as he held the gun at his wife's forehead. His eyes were filled with tears. He stared at Emily and then glanced at his mother, wondering why on earth they had hurt and betrayed him so terribly. Daniel was seething with anger. He felt like he was going to explode with rage any minute.

"Daniel… put the gun down," pleaded Emily.

"Don't tell me what to do, bitch!" yelled Daniel suddenly, dazed from the amount of alcohol in his system. He forced the tip of the gun harder into his Emily's forehead. She stood, shuddering, fearing for her life.

"Daniel! Oh God, please stop," cried Victoria in distress from the other side of the boat. She felt frozen and terrified, watching in horror as her son transformed into a drunken psychopath.

In the blink of an eye, Daniel turned the gun towards his mother. "Shut up!" he bellowed. Tears were streaming down his face as he fought the urge to pull the trigger. "Both of you, just shut up. I don't even know how to… God, I saw you kiss her, mom! I can't believe you would do that to me."

Emily and Victoria looked at each other in shame. They had both been so careless, disrespectful and unfaithful. Emily began to glare at Victoria, and instantly the older woman knew what Emily was thinking. Victoria was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of regret – she should not have given in to her own selfish desires. If she had simply ignored her feelings towards Emily, then none of this would be happening.

"I can't even look at the two of you right now," said Daniel, his hands continuing to shake as he aimed the gun back towards Emily. "You disgust me. How could you do this? All this time, all these years, the two of you had some crazy lesbian affair going on, didn't you? You make me sick…"

"No! No, Daniel, that's not what happened," sobbed Victoria.

"Or was it just tonight?" continued Daniel. "Did you want to ruin my wedding day and my entire fucking life? Because that's what you've done!"

"Daniel, come on. Just let me explain," pleaded Emily.

"You say one more word and I pull this trigger!" his voice boomed.

Emily silenced herself, exhaling heavily in fear of what she knew was to come. She had no clue how her entire night had turned upside down like this – she had planned everything to the finest detail and had been ready to make an escape with Aiden. Now she was standing here with a gun to her head, her life flashing before her eyes.

"Daniel, don't you dare!" said Victoria firmly. "We can sort everything out if you put down that damn gun,"

For a moment, it was completely silent. Daniel glared at his mother, his fury overpowering him, his eyes wild and ruthless with a violent streak that Victoria and Emily had never seen before.

Emily felt the cold, hard metal pressing against her head. Her heart was pounding as she slowly glanced up, hearing a soft click – the sound of Daniel's thumb moving towards the trigger.

Bang. 

* * *

The sound of the shot echoed in the silence of the night. The body fell to the floor with a projected thud as blood began to stream out of it, creating a thick, dark pool of deep red that glistened in the darkness.

The lost, tormented brown eyes of Daniel Grayson looked into Emily's for one last time, before closing with hopelessness - giving up, giving in.

The ground felt like it was shaking. Emily struggled to stand as she watched Daniel's muscular body hit the ground, suddenly devoid of all life and soul. Emily's ears were ringing and her knees felt like they were about to give way. The booming echo of the gunshot haunted her memory.

"I'm sorry."

_Aiden.  
_

* * *

Aiden had just saved their lives.

Victoria was speechless as she stared at her son's lifeless body that lay just a few metres from her. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She began to tremble with shock, unable to stop herself from losing control. She suddenly collapsed onto her knees, crying in weakness. Both Emily and Aiden rushed to her side to comfort her.

"Victoria, I am so, so sorry," whispered Aiden. "I had to do it. He was going to kill both of you."

Victoria was lost for words as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Her dear, beautiful son was dead. Dead. Victoria couldn't bear the thought of it. She screamed out in agony, the intensity of her emotional pain overwhelming her.

Meanwhile, Emily was in a state of shock herself. She didn't know how she felt about Daniel, who was now dead in front of her, limp and still, blood pouring from his stomach, sweat on his brow. She felt incredibly grateful that Aiden had been there at that moment – he had saved her life. But yet, this was _not_ how things should have turned out. Victoria had just witnessed Aiden kill her beloved Daniel. How was Aiden going to get away with such a crime? Was Victoria going to seek retribution, or would she find a way to forgive him? A million questions were racing around in Emily's mind as she tried to comfort the grieving Victoria. However, Emily had no doubt that if Aiden hadn't have shot Daniel, Emily herself would now be dead. The way Daniel had looked at her just moments beforehand, the burning anger and hatred in his eyes – he would not have hesitated to shoot Emily.

She tried to catch Aiden's eye to say thank you, but he quickly looked away the moment she did. He seemed cold and hostile. Emily panicked silently. Had Aiden heard what had happened between her and Victoria? Had he been there, lurking in the background, listening to what Daniel had been saying? Or worse, had he also seen Emily and Victoria together?

"Aiden," began Emily, praying that he hadn't been there watching them.

"I need to go distract everyone downstairs to make sure they don't come up here," replied Aiden quietly, his eyes cool.

"Wait…"

He turned and opened the door, his back to Emily. "We'll talk later."

Attempting to block out the negative thoughts of Aiden, Emily turned back to Victoria who still sat on the floor, sobbing in disbelief. Her long, black hair fell in her face and her make up began to run. As much as Emily hated to admit it, she felt a great sense of sympathy towards Victoria. It pained her to see the older woman in such a vulnerable and weak state of mind, which was a rarity. However, Emily desperately needed to clarify things with Aiden.

"Listen, Victoria, I have to go back downstairs. I'm sorry. You should go home and get some rest,"

Victoria looked up. "Emily, please don't leave me again,"

"There's something important I need to sort out. I'll call you when I get home, I promise."

She stood up and began to rush downstairs. Emily forced herself not to turn back to Victoria – she knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to let the older woman go. Something had changed within Emily and she was well aware of it. She felt a strange, intimate attachment to Victoria. Something drew them to each other. Emily had always felt something towards Victoria, yet she had never been able to pinpoint exactly what it was. Nor had she ever taken the time to think properly about it. It was a feeling that had often made her feel very hesitant to hurt Victoria, even though Emily knew that Victoria deserved all the pain she received.

As Emily thought back to their many previous interactions, including the events of today, she began to realise that she had been repressing her deep feelings towards Victoria for a very long time.


End file.
